“The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing; the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon: they shall see the glory of the LORD, the excellency of our God. Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the glowing sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water.’ (Isa.35:1–7)
Jesus actually called revival (the outpouring of the Holy Spirit) the promise of the Father. The Heavenly Father made a promise to His only begotten Son. Can you imagine the power and the certainty of that promise? It would be unthinkable for that promise to not be fulfilled. What did Jesus mean when He spoke of the promise of the Father? The Lord’s promise to His Son was that if Jesus would become a man and become a sacrifice for the sin of fallen man that the Lord would give everyone who believed on Him access to the life that Jesus had enjoyed with His Father from eternity. This promise began to be fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost. All who believed on the death and resurrection of Jesus began to experience the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
The disciples and followers of Jesus were praying together in the upper room when the very atmosphere was changed. The breath of God came upon them and entered into them. They were all overcome with the majesty of God’s presence, they were all filled with unspeakable joy, and they all began to speak in other tongues. Today this outpouring continues. Who can receive it? Listen to the promise Jesus gave to us. “On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” John 7:37,38
